The Iranian filmmaker, whose film The Past was screened at the 15th Mumbai Film Festival, says Indian films shouldn’t lose their originality

Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, known for Oscar-winning film A Separation, Monday said that Indian cinema shouldn’t try to imitate Hollywood or European cinema, but continue catering to everybody.

“I think Indian cinema should not lose its originality by trying to imitate other film industries. It should continue making films and shouldn’t try to imitate Hollywood or European cinema because then we all will be making same kind of films, which we don’t want,” Farhadi said.

He was speaking at the screening of his film The Pastat the 15th Mumbai Film Festival, which has been nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. “Indian cinema should continue doing what it has been doing because I think it’s the only film industry in the world that caters to all class of the audiences,” he added.

Cineswami shares the list of competing films in the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film category, and chooses his Top 5

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have revealed the full list of submissions in the Oscar Foreign Language Film category. Seventy-six films have been submitted, the highest in Oscar history. Gyan Correa’s The Good Road is up against some truly worthy contenders. The frontrunner this year was Cannes winner Blue Is The Warmest Colour, but that fell foul of Academy release date requirements and France’s entry is Renoir instead which, while a decent enough film, does not stack up to the other worthies.

Five films will be whittled down from the 76. Cineswami is going out on a limb and taking a stab at the final five: Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty (Italy); Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt (Denmark); Asghar Farhadi’s The Past (Iran); Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda; and a long shot Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo (Singapore).

The 2013 submissions are:

Afghanistan, Wajma – An Afghan Love Story, Barmak Akram, director;

Albania, Agon, Robert Budina, director;

Argentina, The German Doctor, Lucía Puenzo, director;

Australia, The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt, director;

Austria, The Wall, Julian Pölsler, director;

Azerbaijan, Steppe Man, Shamil Aliyev, director;

Bangladesh, Television, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;

Belgium, The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, Danis Tanovic, director;

Cineswami tells us how the Irrfan Khan starrer could still win an Academy Award

Ritesh Batra, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and all those bemoaning the fact that The Lunchbox is not India’s entry to the Academy Awards’ foreign language category can take heart. It is technically possible to send the film to the Oscars, just not in the Best Foreign Language Film category as the Academy rules clearly state: “Only one picture will be accepted from each country.”

The Academy rules also state that to be eligible, a film has to be “publicly exhibited for paid admission in a commercial motion picture theatre in Los Angeles County; for a qualifying run of at least seven consecutive days; and advertised and exploited during their Los Angeles County qualifying run customary to industry practice.” The qualifying run has necessarily to be before December 31, 2013.

Let’s look back at 2002. All of the smart money was on Pedro Almodovar’s Talk To Her being Spain’s entry in the foreign language category. Spain pulled an FFI and chose Fernando Leon de Aranova’s Mondays In The Sun as the official entry instead. Instead of hand-wringing, the film’s US distributor Sony Pictures Classics rolled up its sleeves and gave the film its US premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, in April, where it was warmly received. Later, in July, the film stunned audiences at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Another prominent North American festival where Talk To Her played to great acclaim was Toronto in September, where it wowed rapt audiences.

A few more festivals later, the film opened in New York in October. On December 13, Talk To Her had its Oscar qualifying run in Los Angeles. On Christmas Day 2002 the film went on wider release in the US. Do remember that Talk To Her is a Spanish language film that most non-Hispanics had to watch with subtitles and that the film featured actors unknown to wider audiences. Sony Pictures Classics ran an aggressive marketing campaign and took out ‘For Your Consideration’ ads in trade publications like Variety, requesting that Academy voters consider Talk To Her in several other categories, but obviously not the foreign film category.

Nomination day dawned and Almodovar was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. And, when the night of the 2002 Oscars came around, Almodovar won Best Screenplay. Not bad for a film shut out by its own country. Incidentally, Mondays In The Sun did not even secure a nomination and the Oscar went to Caroline Link’s German film Nowhere In Africa. India’s entry, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas, did not get nominated either.

Like Talk To Her, The Lunchbox is riding the wave of much acclaim both at home and abroad. Like the Spanish film, The Lunchbox has had acclaim at Telluride, Karlovy Vary and Toronto. Unlike Talk To Her that released in Europe before Cannes, The Lunchbox has the advantage of being a Cannes selection. Unlike Talk To Her, The Lunchbox has a face known to Academy voters in Irrfan Khan, thanks to Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire. And guess who the US distributor of The Lunchbox is? Yes, Sony Pictures Classics.

So instead of the whingeing, if team Lunchbox act constructively and get Sony Pictures Classics into the act, the film can earn nominations in a number of categories, just not foreign film. And this could be a great opportunity for the world class Irrfan Khan to get a Best Actor nomination, Nimrat Kaur for Best Actress and Nawazuddin Siddiqui for Best Supporting Actor and maybe for Batra’s script. Believe in the film, get Sony Pictures Classics to bring their marketing might and their stellar record at the Oscars (films distributed by them have a mighty 109 Oscar nominations) into play and perhaps The Lunchbox could win an Oscar after all.

The Oscar Award-winning sound designer says once you make it big internationally, people in India think you’re too snobbish or expensive to hire. In an exclusive chat with BollywoodLife, Resul also talks about his projects including his Oscar-nominated film The Good Road, Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan, his relationship with master composer AR Rahman, and how Irrfan Khan had predicted he would have no takers in India…

He’s unassuming, accessible and cheerful – you wouldn’t think you’re speaking to an Academy Award-winner and virtuoso sound designer until you realise the depth of Resul Pookutty‘s knowledge and experience. And yet he has no airs and his answers are unrehearsed. When asked if the Slumdog Millionaire victory at the Oscars increased opportunities for him in Hollywood and also back home in India, he confesses, “I’m not getting any work in India, which is quite sad…people think I’m too snobbish or expensive because I’ve won an Oscar.” In the same vein, he says that he’s forgotten all about winning that so-coveted Academy award!

Resul indulges in frankspeak with BollywoodLife, giving a glimpse into his career and life, also revealing that music maestro AR Rahman is his spiritual guru and that what actor Irrfan Khan said has come true. He also speaks about creating sound for Kochaidaiiyaan and other films he’s working on.

What films are you doing right now?

This morning, I got back from watching the first trailer of Rajinikanth’s Kochadaiiyaan. I’m also mixing a Hindi film called Warning. It’s the first underwater film shot in 3D in India. Immediately after that, I have another film called Blemished Light and then Gulaab Gang. I just had a release of Malayalam film called Kunjananthante Kada. I have an American film called Margarita With a Straw, directed by Indian Shonali Bose, who helmed Amu. I’m also doing Imtiaz Ali’s Highway, among other films.

What has been the most challenging sound design assignment for you – you all kinds of films?

(Laughs) Every film is challenging! For example, I was working on a Hindi film called Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa by Buddhadeb Dasgupta. It’s one of the most lyrical films I have worked on, and I wanted to work with Dasgupta so I called him and told him ‘Dada, I want to work with you’. And he was shocked, me working in a such a low-budget project with him! I said, ‘The budget doesn’t matter, I want to do this’. He is one of the master filmmakers of India. When I started watching Anwar – the kind of imagery that he has created – it was quite scary for me to be able to match up to that.

Then when I began working on Warning. The whole film is underwater and above it, and three dimensional. To create the kind of sound spectrum needed for the thriller…how do we create that feel for two hours in one space, for four characters who have nowhere to go? A film where no angles change, and there are no gimmicks? How do we create the fear factor running along the spine of the audience? These things really posed a challenge.

Kunjananthante - it’s like an Iranian film, no gimmicks and it’s a drama. You have to be truthful and genuine to the kind of film that it is. And also do justice to an actor’s performance so that it is enhanced. I had to work on the language, even though I’m a Malayali, as the director was alien to me. It was like working in a foreign language. This month, a French film of mine by François Girard is releasing – working on Kunjananthante reminded me of the same film.

Now I’m mixing Kochaidaiiyaan. It’s a very VFX (visual effects) heavy film, with motion capture and performance capture technology – how to match up to what is possible! The film is evolving on the VFX table – no camera angles are fixed. Everything is evolving as per the CG (computer graphics) and yet the film has to be realistic and a larger-than-life experience.

Every film has its own challenge. I don’t know which is the toughest amongst these.

How useful was your experience in working with Danny Boyle Slumdog Millionaire? Did it help you get more work in Europe and the US?

The French guy (Girard) – immediately after he saw Slumdog, he looked for me. He took three months to track me down and later worked with me in India. So in Europe, yes, they are really taken aback by the work that has been done in Slumdog. Then the Swedish film I did, again the producers were really happy with the kind of work done. So Slumdog has been been very well received in Europe and the US.

How about getting work in India?

It’s actually the other way around – I’m not getting much work in India, which is quite sad! Instead of trying to come to me, mainstream Hindi cinema is shying away from me because I have an Oscar! I’ve been telling my friends about this…. Actually Irrfan Khan – who was in Slumdog Millionaire and has acted in numerous Hollywood projects – had predicted this. He told me, ‘Abhi tereko kaam nahin milega – idhar bhi nahin milega, udhar bhi nahin milega‘ (You won’t get any work now – neither in Hollywood nor in Bollywood). He was speaking from his own experience. That has come true and been so for quite a while for me. There has to be some sort of bouncing back; and also, I have been more approachable and more open to talking to people.

So recognition from the West doesn’t really help, does it?

There is a scare factor. Because you have achieved something internationally and because you’re not in the country half the year – that was the case a couple of years ago, and the kind of media attention that I got in those two years…. It’s also the psyche. People are scared because they think you are big and unapproachable. And expensive, of course – that is one aspect they always point out to me.

Also, I’ve been choosy about the kind of work that I do. But I’ve always been forthcoming about working with newcomers, youngsters and in independent cinema. I have mixed my filmography with mainstream and indie cinema, and I feel quite happy about it, irrespective of people’s perception about it.

Has AR Rahman also said the same thing about the issue?

(Laughs) I don’t want to say how AR Rahman must be feeling. It’s not for me to judge it.

But you must’ve talked to him about it sometime!

Yeah. In fact, yesterday we were together and we spent a lot of time talking and sharing ideas. Both of us are in a similar situation right now in terms of what the next stage of our work will be. In that he is quite my parallel.

Any more collaborations with Rahman apart from your current ones? Are you a part of the Bollywood film that he is making?

We have two films together – Highway and Kochadaiiyaan. I don’t know if he’s making a Hindi film.

What is your equation with him? Do you’ll talk like friends or like professionals?

I have a very different equation with him. Of course, when we work together, we’re professionals. Otherwise, to me he is a brother and it’s the same for him. He’s like my spiritual guru. In our relationship, we have respect and love for each other.

How crucial and helpful is background music in sound design? Do you, the background music director and the composer discuss how your sound should complement their work?

Background music is very crucial to the sound spectrum of a film. Because one problem with background is that it carries a readymade emotional quotient. In films, you want that to be not apparent and manifest itself. Every bit of sound in a film has to be identified as a part of the natural theme. Especially if you are working on a movie with sync sound – you have to be very careful about the kind of score coming in.

Of course, I do sit a lot with the background music director and exchange notes with the music room. We always work with each other, creating sound – it becomes a wholesome experience rather than one over the other.

What can be the ultimate dream or project of a sound designer?

I don’t know. I have not set forth such a goal. For me, this happened and is a way of life. I wish I was able to work with Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, but that is something not possible now. I’ve been quite happy with the kind of work I am able to do, so I don’t have a wish list anymore. Everything that has happened to me is quite extraordinary.

How soon would you helm your first film as director?

Every film student who has studied at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) wishes for that. So I have also nurtured a dream that one day, I would become a filmmaker – even if I make a bad film! So, if I were to die, I would die as a feature filmmaker. But when am I turning director? Not right now. As a sound designer, I’m committed till 2014. I’ll have to stop that work to be able to switch over now. But eventually, of course, I would direct a film. Let’s hope it happens soon.

How important is the Academy Award for you? A lot of filmmakers in India say it is not necessary or important to recognise our work. Is that also your opinion? Will an Indian film winning an Oscar make you happy?

Actually I have forgotten my Oscar Awards victory! That is over and done with in my life. Of course, that is the greatest achievement, but I don’t brag about it. I would be happy nevertheless. Whether an Oscar-winning movie is made in India or elsewhere, I think it’s an achievement of a very special kind – an honour that is given to people who are extraordinarily talented. So, if an Indian film wins it, I would be really, really happy. The position I am in now, being an Academy member – I’ll be all the more happy to be able to nominate an Indian film and vote for it.

Is any film made in India in the last year eligible for the Oscars?

I shouldn’t comment on this, as our films are only nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The chosen movie will be competing with films from all over the world, so it has to be one among the best in the world. It’s not about the technical aspects, but something much more than that. There are some eligible Indian movies. We have to see if we are sending the right films to the Oscars.

UPDATE: Resul’s film The Good Road has been selected as the official entry to Oscar 2014. We spoke to him again about the film.

How was it working on an on-the-road film like The Good Road?

The movie has a rustic quality to it, so we had to work on it like that. The Good Road is not a sync sound film, but we had to record actual sounds on location and use them. Also, the music was recorded live as the film was shot.

Resul also tweeted about the film when its selection was announced. He said, “Happy to let you all know that our small film #The Good Road has been selected as India’s official entry at the Oscars!Kudos Gyan& Amitabha.”

Happy to let you all know that our small film #The Good Road has been selected as India’s official entry at the Oscars!Kudos Gyan& Amitabha.

Cineswami talks about the Indian connection of Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag that is vying for the Best Foreign Language Film title at the 86th Academy Awards

It is truly Aman Ki Asha. The Pakistani Academy Selection Committee has selected Zinda Bhaag as the first Pakistani film in over 50 years to be submitted for Oscar consideration in the foreign language category. Pakistan has sent only two films to the Oscars – Akhtar J Kardar’s Jago Hua Savera in 1959 and Khawaja Khurshid Anwar’s Ghunghat in 1963.

Zinda Bhaag has a wealth of Indian talent associated with it. It is co-directed and co-directed by Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi and produced by Mazhar Zaidi. Gaur is originally from Kolkata and moved to Pakistan four years ago. She is married to Zaidi. The film’s cinematographer is also Indian – Satya Nagpaul who shot Gattu and Anhey Gorhey Da Daan.

Above, all, the Zinda Bhaag cast is headlined by our own Naseeruddin Shah, his second Pakistani film after Khuda Kay Liye. Shah said, “The genre Zinda Bhaag belongs to can only be called cinema of conviction. May the tribe increase! I am proud to be a part of this film.”

Zinda Bhaag is a comedy/thriller about three young men trying to escape the reality of their everyday lives through the use of the unconventional methods available to them. The journey that unfolds through the film is a telling tale of the sorts of circumstances that everyday Pakistanis find themselves in – an unfulfilled desire to achieve feats that are out of their reach, a yearning to prove themselves despite of the hurdles places before them, and an inescapable sense of melancholy that sets in when ones opportunities are dictated by forces that are out of their control.

Committee member Mehreen Jabbar (director of Ramchand Pakistani, starring Nandita Das) said, “Zinda Bhaag took a risk in telling a different kind of story and did it in a very innovative way. It also stayed true to its content and approach and that I feel is a very welcome contribution to the revival of cinema in Pakistan.”

Directors Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi said, “We feel honoured, excited, overjoyed and many other things right now. More than anything else this nomination is an indication that the time has come for the spotlight to return to Pakistani cinema.”

Zinda Bhaag releases in Pakistan on September 20 and an India release will follow shortly. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Hyderabad where the Film Federation of India will decide which film will represent India at the Oscars. The overwhelming buzz is for The Lunchbox, but India has displayed, over the years, remarkable competence in sending wholly inappropriate and unlikely to win films as the official entry – Barfi! being a prime example. Let us hope better sense prevails this year.

Another film, Midhunam, has also been apparently recommended by the Telugu Film Producers’ Council

The Telugu Film Producers’ Council is said to have recommended Telugu films Midhunam and Sri Jagadguru Adi Shankara to the Film Federation of India (FFI) as contenders for India’s official entry to the Academy Awards‘ best foreign language film category.

“I have been informed that my film (Sri Jagadguru Adi Shankara) has been recommended by the Telugu Film Producers’ Council to FFI for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. I’ll be extremely happy if it gets selected for the Academy Awards,” said the film’s director JK Bharavi.

Midhunam, on the other hand, is a story on the relationship of an elderly couple. It featured only two characters essayed by singer-actor SP Balasubramanyam and Lakshmi.

“We have also recommended Midhunam. The final decision to screen the film rests with the FFI,” said a member of Telugu Film Producers Council. The film, directed by Tanikella Bharani was not commercially successful, but earned critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

All Indian films being recommended for the Oscars will be viewed by a special committee of the FFI September 17 onwards. One movie will be selected for consideration.

The Film Federation of India has invited entries for the Academy Awards’ foreign language film category. Which Bollywood movie do you think should go?

Will Shahrukh Khan’s Chennai Express be sent to the Oscars as India’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film? It is highly possible, since we have often seen commercial hits (like Barfi! last year) being recommended for the prestigious Hollywood awards.

Shahrukh’s movie is releasing on August 9, and the Film Federation of India’s (FFI) selection criterion is for films that have commercially released in India between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013. Which means Salman Khan’s Dabangg 2 and Aamir Khan’s Talaash might also be contenders, as also Shahrukh’s Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

But wethinks Sridevi’s English Vinglish is a far better choice for dispatch to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and its makers should apply ASAP!

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag will also have a better chance at winning or even being selected for the Top 5 at the Oscars. Like Aamir’s Lagaan that entered the coveted Top 5, BMB is also a sports film with a local flavour, but very international and with real-life stories in it.

Among the other highest-grossing and appreciated films of 2013 so far are Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Race 2, Aashiqui 2, Special 26,Raanjhanaa, Shootout at Wadala, Kai Po Che! and Chashme Baddoor.

Do you think SRK’s Chennai Express will overtake the competition and be good enough to be sent to the Academy Awards? Or will it be Akshay Kumar’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobaara?

Take Our Poll
]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/will-chennai-express-be-indias-oscar-entry-for-best-foreign-language-film/feed/41Mira Nair on The Reluctant Fundamentalist: I got inspired to make a story about modern Pakistanhttp://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/mira-nair-on-the-reluctant-fundamentalist-i-got-inspired-to-make-a-story-about-modern-pakistan/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/mira-nair-on-the-reluctant-fundamentalist-i-got-inspired-to-make-a-story-about-modern-pakistan/#commentsFri, 07 Dec 2012 14:30:13 +0000Shweta Parande | IANShttp://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=168360

The director hopes her film would help initiate a positive dialogue between India and Pakistan

Helming The Reluctant Fundamentalist, shot in India, Pakistan and the US, was not easy but the overall outcome is “quite beautiful”, says internationally acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, who hopes her film will help initiate a positive dialogue between the nations.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, an adaptation of the 2007 eponymous bestseller by Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid, focusses on a young Pakistani chasing corporate success in Wall Street when 9/11 shakes up his life.

Nair, an Indian filmmaker based in New York, who would very much like her film to bridge the gulf between East and West, also believes the time has come to focus on the subcontinent in a “bridge-making way”. “My father came from Lahore, Pakistan and we were raised in Orissa, India. But we very much spoke Urdu. I never got a chance to be there in Pakistan, so when I went there in 2004, I really got inspired to make a story about modern Pakistan,” said Nair.

Pakistan in real is different from the Pakistan she read about. “It is so different from what you read about it in the newspapers. That was the first inspiration. Then I read Mohsin Hamid’s book three months later. The film gave me a chance to make a dialogue with America. I know about these places very well because I have lived half my life in the subcontinent and the other half in New York City. It is now time that we focus on the subcontinent – not in a hostile way, but in a bridge-making way. In a way which is actually a dialogue,” she added.

The movie was indeed a challenge for Nair, 55. “Firstly, the adaptation was a real challenge. It took us three years to adapt the screenplay. There were financial issues. When we started shooting, everything suddenly fell apart, but finally we have achieved something which is quite beautiful,” she said.

“It was a real challenge, but we believed in the global ambition of the film. We wanted to capture the global landscape. There were many challenges that we faced, but it was the belief that kept me going. For the first time, I did the post-production of the film in India and I would say we had a terrific family,” she added.

The film – about young Changez who finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family’s homeland – received accolades at the recent 43rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. It was given the first Centenary Award and presented with a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh at the fest.

Nair also faced challenges finding the actor to play Changez. After a year and a half of research, she finally zeroed in on Pakistani actor Rizwan Ahmed. “Rizwan is the best of them all and is simply astounding in the film,” said Nair. However, it was difficult to take actors to Pakistan because they did not get “insurance to secure them”. “We shot for four days in Pakistan and 20 days’ shooting was in old Delhi.” Asked about her experience of shooting in Pakistan, Nair said, “Pakistan is very embracing and it is easy to work with the local crew.”

Nair began her film career as an actor and then turned to directing acclaimed documentaries, including So Far From India and India Cabaret. Her debut feature film Salaam Bombay! was nominated for an for Best Foreign Language Film in 1988. Her other critically acclaimed films are Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding, The Namesake and New York, I Love You.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist will release in Indian screens April next year, through PVR Pictures.

From Bhanu Athaiya to Anil Kapoor…it may not have happened this year, but the Academy Awards has seen the presence of a strong desi contingent in the fairly recent past

Winning an Oscar has been a coveted dream for the likes of AR Rahman, Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor and others. Some won, some didn’t. Dewy fresh in our memories is the phenomenon of Slumdog Millionaire that made it big at the Oscars in 2008. But the Indian presence at the Academy Awards dates back to 1957. That is when a desi film first made it to the nomination lists – Mother India was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. It did not win, but started off a wave of aspiration. But it was 25 years later that India finally brought its first Oscar home.

Bhanu Athaiya (1982)

Bhanu Athaiya won the Best Costume Design for Gandhi in 1982. In that year Gandhi won eight Oscars.

Satyajit Ray (1991)

Satyajit Ray was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement in Cinema. But due to his ill health, Ray was unable to attend the ceremony. That’s when Audrey Hepburn came to Kolkata to give him the statuette.

AR Rahman (2008)

AR Rahman won Oscars for Best Score and Best Original Song for Slumdog Millionaire.

Gulzar (2008)

Gulzar won the Oscar for Best Song (lyrics) for Slumdog Millionaire.

And then there were movies that were nominated and made their presence felt at the Oscars, even though they did not take home that prized trophy…

Mother India (1957)

This Mehboob Khan movie was India’s first film to be nominated at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category. But it lost out to the Italian Le notti di Cabiria.

Salaam Bombay! (1988)

This Mira Nair movie was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 1988. It was based on the day-to-day lives of street children in Mumbai. But it lost out to the Danish Pelle Erobreren that year.

Lagaan (2001)

The Aamir Khan film made a lot of noise on it’s way to the Oscars. The story focussed on a cricket match between villagers and officials of the British Raj and had a sub-text of freedom from oppression and victory of the underdog. The movie lost out to the Bosnian No Man’s Land.